The player he is now is better than he’s ever been.” The potential for Williamson's rare combination of raw athletic ability, explosiveness and size (listed at 6-foot-6, 284 pounds) to translate in the NBA has been evident since his first few games on the court back in late January 2020 — after the first of what has become several long injury absences.

A few dead teams across the NBA are essentially playing for pride the rest of the way—New Orleans is one of said teams. A forgettable 2024-25 campaign began in the preseason when Dejounte Murray suffered the team’s first significant injury.